Second Reading Group Meeting-23/11/2023
Joined by old and new friends, our second reading group session shifted from an exploration of gardens at local scales to a broader consideration of envisioning planet Earth as a garden, greenhouse, or terrarium in literary, scientific, and public imaginations, as discussed by Derek Woods, in article, ‘Terraforming Earth: Climate and Recursivity’ (2019).
Inspired by Woods’s focus on scale and (variance), the discussion revolved around the difference between the microcosm and macrocosm when looking at ‘gardens’ at different scales. Sam offered an thought-provoking parallel reading by referencing John Burnside’s essay on 19th-century English poet John Clare. Reading Clare with a contemporary eye, Burnside speculates that the poet, who was a great lover of nature and birds, would hate wind farms since they pose huge threat to the bird species and their natural habitat. Burnside speculates that Clare, a nature enthusiast, might oppose wind farms due to their potential threat to bird species and their habitats. This sparked a significant question: ‘How can we bring the affective qualities of the microcosm to the macrocosm’ (Sam), especially when considering the tension between large-scale renewable energy production and its local environmental impact?
Ben extended this exploration to educational practices in biology, noting a ‘taxidermical’ approach to learning that prioritises identification and categorization against an objective standard. Even in on-site activities like ‘birdwatching’, the emphasis tends to be competitive rather than ‘affective,’ resulting in knowledge that is more ‘dead’ (taxidermical) than lived.
Perhaps it leads us back the idea of enclosure (a form of recursivity?), from which the origin of horticulture is inseparable from. Yet there are myriad ways enclosure can take place, as John Burnside’s essay suggests, ‘enclosures, not only of land and property, but also of the sky, the horizon, our means of communication, knowledge and ideas, the imagination and even our very senses. The enclosure of pleasure’ (81).
How would land reclamations complicate the idea(s) of enclosure with space? (Chris) Think and Compare economic driven land reclamation and Robert Smithson’s land art, ‘Spiral Jetty’.
Reclamation and development in Hong Kong. Source : Surveying and Mapping Office, Lands Department, HKSAR Government.
‘Spiral Jetty’ (1970), land art by Robert Smithson, Rozel Point, Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States
The idea of enclosure, however, invites a contemplation on its completeness. Let Roisin’s comment lingers as a point for further reflection: ‘Gardens cannot exist without what’s outside’.
Organised by
Dong Xia
Participated by
Ben Ong
Chris O’Hara
Sam Hickford
Roisin Neenan